October starts out warm and sunny, but this is the month when everything changes. Mornings grow frosty, leaves change colors, and the breeze takes on a bite.

Summer dies.

It’s a time for harvest celebrations. A boy loans a girl his coat. She snuggles a little closer and takes his hand. A riot of autumn splendor accompanies the farmer’s market where they stroll.

But the vibrancy of daylight doesn’t compare to the darkness of night. Is that chill on your neck the breeze or something else?

October night

You walk a tad faster and look over your shoulder. The trees creak when the wind whips through their branches—at least, you hope that noise came from the undulating bows.

You check under the bed and inside the closet before climbing under the covers. Sleep doesn’t come easy. The old house groans its complaints, and the night magnifies every innocuous noise until terror paralyzes you—because you know nefarious things go bump in the night.

Welcome to the

Paranormal Bar & Grille Blog Tour

…where you can rub elbows with everyone from a gargoyle or vampire, to a creature from urban legend, or the ghostly realms of myth. Step up to the bar, grab a booth. You never know what’s on the menu, or if you might end up there yourself.

Sound like your kind of hangout? Then you’ve come to the right place. We’re a group of five authors who love nothing more than to trigger the chill that crawls up your back, the nervous glance tossed over your shoulder. We invite you to discover outstanding books and check out our awesome tour prizes.

Just be careful of what the bartender serves you. That heady brew may not be a beer, and witches can’t be trusted to provide effective antidotes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt Five:

Love Set in Stone

He gasped but only succeeded in inhaling thick embers. “I hate it when you do that to me, Anael. What the hell?”

“Not what, Damien,” Anael said. “Where. It’s against the rules, but you needed to see.”

“Hell.”

“The first level.”

Damien choked on clouds of brimstone and looked around. Bodies hung on racks, some scourged by demonic creatures wielding whips of fire, others stretched until their limbs tore off only to reassemble and stretch again. Some souls were skinned and devoured, the torment cyclical, never-ending. Giant beasts with nine-inch claws and twelve-inch teeth tore people into bloody shreds. They gnawed on the bones of writhing beings, snarling and snapping at anything near them.

There was no blessed retreat into unconsciousness or death. This was their other side, their ever-after, their eternity. The tormented endured each torture, alert and unprotected. Impossibly hot gusts of wind howled through the cavern, tossing the departed from one horror to the next. And the maniacal screeches of the tormentors were only overpowered by the anguished wails of the damned.

“I’ve seen enough.” Damien’s words were barely intelligible through his coughing and wheezing.

“Are you certain? This is only the first level. The second level hosts souls feeding on their own entrails, or having a myriad of sexual violations forced upon them. Rape. Sodomy. Bestiality. And then there’s—”

Damien clutched Anael’s arm. “Enough!”

“Do you understand now?”

Damien looked up and howled, his throat burning, his voice mingling into the sounds of all the other lost souls, an agonizing dirge melodic only to Satan himself.

When he thought the devil’s name, the most sinister laugh echoed through the cavern, a shadow given voice and power. It sent chills down his burning spine. The demons cheered, their victims cowered, and Damien cringed, seeking escape that would only be denied him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Author Bios

Craig Boyack

Just a fiction writer, trying to reach the world.

Craig came to fiction writing later in life than most authors. He always had to write, to one degree or another as part of various jobs. Early one winter morning, he conquered the Internet and didn’t feel like shoveling the sidewalk until the

sun came up. He tried a few pages of fiction and got hooked.

Craig doesn’t like limitations and calls himself a writer of speculative fiction. It’s a broad field, but he limits himself to science fiction, paranormal, and a bit of fantasy.

He has eight published works—six novels and two collections of short stories.

(or maybe I do)….I saw a UFO when I was six. Probably why I write some of the stuff I do.

~ooOOoo~

Bio:

They say everyone has a story to tell.

I wrote my first childish “masterpiece” at six and was immediately bitten by the writing bug. Since then, I’ve been composing nonstop, and have dabbled in multiple genres over the years, writing everything from fantasy, westerns, and horror to inspirational fiction, romance, and sci-fi. It took me a while to find my niche, but I’ve settled comfortably into the mystery/suspense genre (with a just a dash of romance tossed in).

Several of my earlier works have strong romantic themes, but all are infused with threads of mystery. I have a passion for folklore, myth, and urban legends and that attraction often factors into my writing. You’ll find threads of archaic tales and mysterious places woven throughout many of my novels.

I am a member of the International Thriller Writers and a past president of the Central Pennsylvania Writer’s Organization. If I’m not camped out at my keyboard or have my nose buried in a book, I’m likely looking up blurry images of cryptids on Google, sorting through vintage photographs or imagining life as a cat.

Sandra writes YA Fantasy, Paranormal and Historical Romance, and Metaphysical Nonfiction. She lives in sunny North Carolina with her husband, a brood of critters and an occasional foster cat. Although shopping is high on the list, her greatest pleasure is sitting on her screened in porch, listening to the birds, sipping coffee or a latte and enjoying a good book. She's a vegetarian and a Muay Thai enthusiast.

Relevant Links:

http://tinyurl.com/nkjfqmc

Blog: https://sandracox.blogspot.com

Website: http://sandracox1.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SandraCox.Author

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sandra_Cox

Harmony Kent

The author who gets write into your head.

Genres: Multi-genre

Quirky Fact I don’t want anyone to know: Wrote the entirety of The Glade while listening to the Twilight movie soundtrack. And she’s not mentioning the glass of white (ahem) ‘grape juice’ that kept finding its way to her computer station.

Author Bio:

Harmony Kent is famous for her laughter, and has made quite the name for herself … she’s also, um, a writer … and fairly well known for that too. She’s even won a few awards. Harmony lives in rural Cornwall with her ever-present sense of humour and quirky neighbours and refuses to admit to her age.

If you catch her at work, you’ll see that she also offers editing, proof reading, manuscript appraisal, and beta reading services. Not to mention being passionate about supporting her fellow authors.

As goes my reading, so goes my writing. I can’t pick a single genre to focus on, so I don’t even try. I’m proud to say I’m a multi-genre author.

When I’m not reading or writing, I’m spending time with family and friends, possibly cooking for them, or maybe enjoying an afternoon in the pool. To learn more about me, visit me at http://stacitroilo.com or connect with me on social media.

Relevant Links:

Website http://stacitroilo.com/

Amazon http://amazon.com/author/stacitroilo

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/staci-troilo

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/staci_troilo

Newsletter http://eepurl.com/bPgAI5

Twitter https://twitter.com/stacitroilo

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/authorstacitroilo

FB Group http://www.facebook.com/groups/stacitroilosnovelidea

Pinterest https://pinterest.com/stacitroilo

Google + https://plus.google.com/+StaciTroilo

LinkedIn https://linkedin.com/in/stacitroilo

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The authors will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Morgana is a hedge witch with a problem. Her sisters are conspiring against her and she has a ghost with a fork phobia living in her shoe closet. When the chance comes to crash a party she just knows she should have been invited to comes along, she enlists the aid of her trusty cat Nona to help her cast the spell for the perfect dress. But crashing this party isn't the only thing that’s going to rain on this witch’s parade.

Marcus of Pendleton is a cat shifter in search of his brother. Then a lead at the Warty Frog takes him on an adventure filled with magic and well…zombies. Can the prince find the fair witch and the answer he seeks? And he might just be the familiar she's looking for...

“He’s been missing for months. How can you not care?” Marcus Pendleton ground out, staring at his father in disbelief. The king sat on his throne gnawing on a turkey leg, grease sliding down his pudgy face.

“Because my boy, Rhys was the younger son. He may have been a prince, but you’re the one who will inherit the throne.”

“So why did you bother searching the kingdom for a princess and having a ball?”

The king narrowed his eyes at his son. “That happened to be for you. Scheduling a dragon-hunting trip for that weekend was in atrocious form. Your mother was highly disappointed.”

“I’ll bet.” Marcus kicked his foot against the dais. He fought down the urge to shift and show his father his extreme displeasure. No doubt the old man would have an apoplectic fit if he found out his son had been bitten and turned into the one animal he despised the most. Not even a beast like a wolf, but merely a cat. His father loathed the animals and forbade having them on the castle grounds.

“You need to focus on finding yourself a princess, not running about the kingdoms slaying beasts and bothering with that fool brother of yours. The last time anyone saw him, he was following some skirt around and blathering on about a missing shoe.” His father shuddered, holding his hand up in disgust. “There were twelve of them. All dressed alike too. The men were talking about it. Prattling, dancing, blonde things with wings.” His wandering eye drifted toward a serving wench with a rather tight bodice.

Marcus couldn’t believe his ears. Twelve of them? That didn’t sound right. Neither did his father’s decision not look for Rhys. It was unthinkable. Right now, if he could have, he would dump his inheritance in his father’s lap and be done with him. The man’s priorities were limited to two things. Food and sleep.

No. Make it three. His father had the wandering eye of a lecherous pig farmer. He didn’t know how his mother stood it. Given the chance, he was surprised she hadn’t chucked him over the palace walls years ago and been done with it.

“Wait, Father. Did you say he was sniffing around a girl with a missing shoe?”

“Yes,” his father chuffed. “What of it?”

“What of it, indeed…” Marcus stalked out of the throne room, an idea forming in his head. Someone else must have seen a shoeless maiden, and he was damn well going to find out what was going on. And twelve girls all dressed the same? How very odd indeed. He wasn’t known as the best tracker in the two kingdoms for naught. If he couldn’t find out something about them, he may as well go sit up in the tower and sew with his mother’s handmaidens.

“Marcus. Come back here. Marcus!”

He shut the door on his father’s ranting, encountering his servant boy on the other side of the door.

“Geoffrey, Saddle my horse. Tonight we ride.”

About the author:

Dana Wright has always had a fascination with things that go bump in the night. She is often found playing at local bookstores, trying not to maim herself with crochet hooks or knitting needles, watching monster movies with her husband and furry kids or blogging about books. More commonly, she is chained to her computers, writing like a woman possessed. She is currently working on several children's stories, young adult fiction, romantic suspense, short stories and is trying her hand at poetry. She is the author of Asylum, The Invitation and Texas Twister. She is also a contributing author to Ghost Sniffer’s CYOA The Haunting of Zephyr Zoo, Siren’s Call E-zine in their “Women in Horror” issue in February 2013 and "Revenge" in October 2013, a contributing author to Potatoes!, Fossil Lake, Of Dragons and Magic: Tales of the Lost Worlds, Undead in Pictures, Potnia, Shadows and Light, Dark Corners (upcoming), Wonderstruck, Shifters: A Charity Anthology, Dead Harvest, Monster Diaries, Holiday Horrors and the Roms, Bombs and Zoms Anthology from Evil Girlfriend Media. Dana has also reviewed music for Muzikreviews.com, New Age Music Reviews and Write a Music review specializing in New Age and alternative music and has been a contributing writer to Eternal Haunted Summer, Massacre Magazine, Metaphor Magazine, The Were Traveler October 2013 edition: The Little Magazine of Magnificent Monsters, the December 2013 issue The Day the Zombies Ruled the Earth and Infective Ink.

Follow Dana’s reviews:

Twitter: @danawrite

Author site and newsletter: http://danawrightauthor.wix.com/danawright

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The giveaway runs October 18th - November 1st and is open worldwide to anyone 18+. 1 winner will win the Prize Pack and 1 winner will win the Scavenger Hunt Prize Pack. Laughing Vixen Lounge is responsible for all giveaway details. Click HERE for full details. a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Me

Dana Wright has always had a fascination with things that go bump in the night. She is often found playing at local bookstores, trying not to maim herself with crochet hooks or knitting needles, watching monster movies with her husband and furry kids or blogging about books. More commonly, she is chained to her computers, writing like a woman possessed. She is currently working on several children's stories, young adult fiction, short stories and is trying her hand at poetry. She is a contributing author to Ghost Sniffer’s CYOA, Siren’s Call E-zine in their “Women in Horror” issue in February 2013 and "Revenge" in October 2013, a contributing author to Potatoes! (upcoming), Fossil Lake, Undead in Pictures, Potnia, a funny ghost story anthology by Crushing Hearts Black Butterfly Press, Dark Harvest,Wonderstruck, Shifters: A Charity Anthology, Holiday Horrors and the Roms, Bombs and Zoms Anthology from Evil Girlfriend Media. Dana has also reviewed music for Muzikreviews.com specializing in New Age and alternative music and has been a contributing writer to Eternal Haunted Summer, Nightmare Illustrated, Massacre Magazine, Pagan Living Magazine, The Were Traveler October 2013 edition: The Little Magazine of Magnificent Monsters, the December 2013 issue The Day the Zombies Ruled the Earth. She currently reviews music at New Age Music Reviews and Write a Music Review.